Japan donates over $600,000 to support IDP returns to North Darfur
February 27, 2023 (EL-FASHER) – The Japanese government has contributed $605,222 to support the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) in Sudan’s “Emergency Support to IDP Returns” project in the El-Fasher locality of North Darfur State.
The project, running from January 2023 to January 2024, will benefit some 36,000 returned Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) and host communities in El Fasher locality.
El Fasher is one of the localities that host the largest number of IDPs displaced for two decades. Due to the recent political and economic situations of the country, insecurity and protracted displacement, IDPs face precarious living conditions characterized by lack of basic services, lack of security of land tenure, and lack of livelihood options.
“Deprivation in these basic rights, in turn, worsens the vulnerability of IDPs towards economic crisis and food security,” UN-Habitat said in a statement.
Through the support of Japan, the project aims to support sustainable IDP returns and ensure human security of both the returned IDPs and host communities through the improvement in basic services and public facilities, securing land rights of returned IDPs and host community members, and ensuring the commitment of relevant actors towards guiding principle for sustainable, voluntary, dignified and safe return of IDP’s.
The project, UN-Habitat further said, also aims to enhance self-reliance of the returned IDPs and host communities, by training youth and women on self-help construction using the environmentally sensitive and affordable Stabilized Soil Blocks (SSB).
“It is our honor to continue our work with UN-Habitat Sudan through our project ‘Emergency Support to IDP Returns in El Fasher Locality, North Darfur State,” explained Takashi Hattori, the Japanese ambassador to Sudan.
He said Japan is a strong advocate of and contributor to improving human security.
“I sincerely hope that this project would contribute to ensuring the human security of both the returned IDPs and host community members, which perfectly aligns with our vision in ensuring sustainable and durable peace,” Takashi stressed.
For his part, Masayuki Yokota, the head of UN-Habitat Country Programme highlighted the critical challenges in Darfur, where the vulnerability of IDPs are heightened due to the recent political, economic and security situations, requiring urgent attention and practical solutions to build their resilience and to ensure human security.
“Particularly, a large number of IDPs living in informal settlements around major cities and towns lead to unplanned, rapid urbanization in urban peripheries without adequate basic services and infrastructure, which negatively affect the host communities,” he said.
Yokota thanked Japan for supporting the project that addresses the urgent need to improve the human security situations of IDPs and host communities, and at the same time contributes to the long-germ resilience of returned IDPs and host communities through improved access to livelihood for local youth and women, basic services and land rights.
Japan has, in recent years, also provided UN-Habitat Sudan with support for sustainable IDP returns and peaceful coexistence of IDPs and host communities in Eid Elfursan and Alsalam Localities, South Darfur State and Tawilla locality, North Darfur State.
(ST)